The present disclosure relates generally to satellite communications, and more specifically to airborne systems and methods for using such systems to avoid excessive interference with one or more non-target satellites during communication with a target satellite.
A geostationary satellite is a satellite that is in geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) about 35,800 km above Earth's equator, and has a revolution around the Earth synchronized with Earth's rotation. As a result, the geostationary satellite appears stationary to an observer on the Earth's surface.
Geostationary satellites occupy orbital slots separated in longitude along the geostationary arc above the Earth's equator. These geostationary satellites, which operate using various frequencies and polarizations, provide a variety of broadcast and communication services. Other types of satellites include low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites set between about 160 km and 2,000 km above Earth's surface , and medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites set in orbit with an altitude greater than about 2,000 km and less than about 35,800 km above Earth's surface.
An Earth-based antenna terminal for communication with a satellite typically has high antenna gain and a narrow main beam pointed at the satellite, because of the large distance to the satellite and to avoid interference with other satellites. In order to satisfy interference requirements with the other satellites, a mobile antenna terminal may only be permitted to communicate with the target satellite when at certain geographic locations. In such a case, services provided by the satellite are unavailable to users of the mobile antenna terminal while at these locations, even though they are within the coverage area of the satellite.